Gulf states slam Hezbollah involvement in Syria conflictJune 30, 2013 - 17:28 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Foreign ministers from Gulf Arab states condemned at their meeting on Sunday, June 30 the interference of the Lebanese Shia militia group Hezbollah in the Syrian conflict and accused it of “undermining the efforts to settle the conflict peacefully.” “This interference will prevent the efforts of holding the Geneva 2 conference [on settling the Syria conflict],” the foreign ministers said in a statement adopted after their meeting in the Bahraini capital of Manama, according to RIA Novosti. The foreign ministers from the Gulf Arab states urged the Lebanese government to stick to “the policy of non-interference in the Syrian conflict.” The foreign ministers also supported a recent decision by Western and Arab nations in the Friends of Syria group to increase military aid to Syrian rebels to “restore the balance of power” ahead of the Geneva international conference on Syria. Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah earlier admitted the militia group was involved in the Syrian armed conflict. Hezbollah and Iran are believed to be the main allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad while some Persian Gulf countries openly support the Syrian opposition, including rebels fighting against the government troops. In May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry proposed holding a second international conference on Syria. The planned gathering has been dubbed “Geneva 2” because the first such conference on Syria was held in Geneva last summer. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ameriabank's Trade Finance portfolio enriched with four prestigious awards from EBRD and IFC Ameriabank received the awards from international financial institutions in recognition of its trade finance operations. Armenian Economy Minister to make trip to UAE May 20-22 A delegation led by Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan will travel to the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi on May 20-22 Armenia Security Council chief traveling to Qatar Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan will travel on a working visit to Qatar. Pillars installed in Armenian border village of Kirants In the Armenian village of Kirants, three border markers have been installed, and border guards stand next to them. |